Microaggressions
This graphic shows examples of some verbal microaggressions:
Implicit biases can impact our relationships and interactions with each other. One way that implicit biases can manifest is in the form of microaggressions.
Microaggressions are everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership.
While microaggressions are generally discussed from the perspective of race and racism, any marginalized group in our society may become targets, including people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, those with disabilities, religious minorities, and others.
Let’s learn a little more about the negative impact of microaggressions. The following video explains microaggressions in a very relatable way.
Most of us may not realize the words we use can hurt others, intentionally or not. We value our coworkers, partners, and neighbors and do not want to purposefully upset or offend them. While the idea of microaggressions may seem theoretical, we want to provide a few real examples in our work at the food bank. Watch the video to see how microaggressions can affect our neighbors at our partner sites.